Improvement in gas apparatus



ZSheets--Sheet I.

n. P. SPICE. Gas-Apparatus.

Patented July 6,1875.

N PETERS, FHDTO-LITHOGRAPNER, WACHINGTN, D. (iV

2 Sheets--Sheet 2. R. P. SPICE.

Gas-Apparatus. No.165 268, Patented1u|y6,1s75.

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NPETERS, PHOTWUTMOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON Dv C.

'UNITED STATES PATENT (Jurion.

`ROBERT PAULSGN SPICE, OF WESTMINSTER, GREAT BRITAIN.

IMPROVEMENTiN-GAsAPPARATus.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 165,268, dated July 6, 1875 g application led March G, 1875.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, ROBERT PAULsoN SPICE, civil engineer, of 2l Parliament street, in the city of Westminster, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, have invented Improvements in the Manufacture of Gras and in Apparatus used for the same, of which the following is a specification:

This invention has reference to the construction of apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture of gas when the decomposition of water is eiiected, for the purpose of supplying hydrogen and other gases, which are subsequently enrich ed by their admixture with ordinary coal or cannell gas, or the vapor of petroleum, or other suitable spirit or material; and consis ts in arranging, within an oven heated by a suitable furnace, any convenient number of retorts set vertically, and made by preference somewhat taper, the largest part being near the bottom. To the upper part of the retort a funnel-shaped mouth-piece or hopperis attached by a spigot and socket arrangement, or by Vmeans of a flange.

. Within the hopper, and at any convenient distance from the top thereof', a disk is suspended by means of a rod or chain attached to a lever, which is furnished with a counter-balance weight, and which when at rest keeps the disk in close contact with the lower end of the hopper, and the retortis thus closed; but, upon the said disk being depressed, the retort will be opened for the admission of coke or other material. The upper part of the oven is formed by two arches, one beneath the other, so as to leave an intervening space, and within this space, one, two, or more stcam-superheaters, consisting of a block or blocks of iron with a number of channels, conduits, or passages, are fixed. These superheaters are provided with `suitable pipes, which communicate with, and extend to nearly the bottom of, the interior of the vertical retorts. Against the retorthouse wall, or in any other convenient situation, is xed a tank containing heavy oil or spirit of petroleum, and from the tank is led a pipe or pipes connected With the pipes leading from the superheaters to the retorts. The superheaters have also pipes which are connected therewith, and to a steam chest or chamber placed at the top of and eX- terior to the retort-bench. At one side or end, or in any convenient position, is erected' an ordinary steam-boiler for the supply of" steam to the steam-chest before alluded to.

The condenser consists of a coil ot' pipes immersed in a trough of water. From the outlet of the condenser A a pipe is led to avessel of any convenient form and size for containing'al quantity of the ordinary petroleum i of commerce, such vessel being termed a saturator. From the upper part ot' the satura-tor rises a pipe which is in communication with the washer or scrubber and subsequent purifying apparatus.

In order that the foregoing may bemore easilyunderstood,drawings are attached hereyin order to show the arrangement for the supply ot coke, and means for closing the retort.

It will be observed that the upper part F ot' the mouth-piece E is funnel or hopper shaped, and that it is provided with a disk, G, suspendedby the rod H to the Weighted lever I, Which is supported by a standard, J, to the side of the mouth-piece. By pulling upon a chain or rod attached to one end ot' the lever I the disk G is depressed, and allows the coke or other Vmatter to fall into the retort. On the release of the rod or chain the disk G is raised by the preponderance of the weight at the opposite end of the lever, and thus closes the communication between the hopper and the retort. K is a tank to hold the heavy oil or spirit, and L is a pipe for conveying it intoV the pipes W W, a tap, L', being inserted in the supply-pipe to each retort. M M are the troughs or vessels supplied with water, into which the open ends of the retorts D D dip, and are thus sealed. N N is the space between the two arches O and l? before spoken oi', and in it are placed the two steam-superheaters Q Q. It is the steam-boiler, (seen only in Fig. 2,) and from which a pipe, S, rises and conveys the steam to the steam-chest T. From the upper part ot' this chest pipes U U descend to near the bottomof the steamsuperheaters Q Q, and at or near the top ot the steam-superheaters one end of each ofthe pipes W W is attached, the other end being introduced into the upper part of the retorts D D. In the retort on the right hand of the drawing the descent of the pipe W is shown, the superheated steam, with or Without the heavy spirit or oil, being emitted from the bottom of the pipe at the point marked X. rlhe decomposed steam or resultant gases are taken oit' near the top ot' each retort by the pipes Y Y, Fig. 2, :nd are conveyed by them to the condensers Z Z, which consist of a coil of pipes, arranged as shown, immersed in troughs of water. From the outlet of the condenser pipes a a proceed to the saturator b, and from this vessel a pipe, c, communicates with the Washer Il.

Y pipes W W to the vertical retorts D D, which have been previously charged, through the hoppers F F, with coke, peat, lignite, breeze, clinkers, or other suitable carhonaceous material, and highly heated. The steam, thus introduced, is carried down, with or without the addition ot' a stream ot' heavy spirit of petroleum, from the tank K by the pipes W to near the bottom of each retort, where it escapes at the point X, and is diffused among the incandescent carbonaceous matter. Here the steam in its course through the substances just mentioned is decomposed and converted into hydrogen, and-when used with spirit or oil-carbureted hydrogen, and other gases, which, as they are formed, pass off through an outlet inv the upper part of the retort, and are conveyed vaway by the pipes Y Y to the condenser Z. From the condenser, or, if preferred, from a washer in lieu thereof, the hot gas passes ,into the saturator b, containing the ordinary commercial spirit of petroleum. Here the gas combines with notonly the light spirit, but with some of the heavier spirits passing forward to the washer d, and other suitable apparatus for purification, and leaving in the saturator only the heaviest of the spirit or oil, to be subsequently transferred to the tank K to be treated as bei'ore lhe combination ot' the supe'rheater W with` the fire-box C andarch P, extending down the sides of the [ire-boX, as shown.

R. P. SPICE.

Witnesses:

W. H. BENNETT, GHAs. V. BENNETT. 

